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Two months ago, London business owner Bob Facca set out on a 4,000-km walk to raise funds for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Having reached London on the journey inspired by his six-year-old grandson, Facca talks with Jennifer Bieman about the highlights so far and the number of shoes he’s gone through

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Q & A

Q: Did you ever imagine you would be walking 4,000 kms?

I played sports when I was younger, but I never thought I’d be doing anything like this.

Q: Have you had any unexpected challenges along the way?

No challenges for us or the crew. Our challenges are minimal compared with what kids with Duchenne’s have to go through every day. Mine will go away, but their challenges are here every day.

Q: How many people do you have on your team?

We always have a minimum of eight people — two drivers for the van and a motor home driver. And the support staff that help me walk or stay with me while I walk.

Q: Have there been any memorable people you’ve encountered so far?

I probably have 1,001 stories to talk about and they’re all positive stories. I can’t say enough about how people have treated us all along the route. (Facca says he’s had a burly Toronto truck driver pull over to give him a hug and a woman in the Ottawa area who brought him supper to show her support.)

Q: How much money have you raised?

Right now we’re over $500,000, That all goes to Jesse’s Journey who donate to research for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Q: Are some days harder than others?

We have a motto here that says ‘no bad days.’ We just live by that motto and every day is one step forward, and we don’t look back. We take it in stride, it’s all good.

Q: How many pairs of running shoes have you gone through?

I’m on my fourth pair.

Q: What would you say about John Davidson who walked across Canada for Duchenne muscular dystrophy?

He’s a hard act to follow, I’ll tell you that. I’m following John’s legacy and trying to help out our kids. If I can do one-tenth of what John did, I would be more than elated.

Q: Where are you heading to next?

We’re heading out from Lambeth to Chatham on Thursday. We do about 20 kms per day. Sometimes it is a little bit more depending on where we’re at.

Q: What would you say about the support you’ve received from the public?

It’s just phenomenal how generous people have been to us. Every nickel that they put in, it might be the nickel that finds the cure. Every nickel counts.